DFI Day 6 was all about creating our classroom learning sites. Mine is still very much a work in progress, but I’m really glad I had the opportunity to be part of the session. One of my DFI cohort colleagues shared her classroom site with us, and I absolutely loved it. Seeing what she had created gave me so many ideas and really made me think about what I want my own site to be. It reminded me that the site isn’t about me, it’s about my students and making their learning easy to access and meaningful.Now I’m thinking carefully about how to make my site simple enough for my New Entrant, Year 1 and Year 2 students to use confidently and independently. I want it to be easy to navigate, engaging, and something that also helps parents stay connected with their child’s learning. My biggest worry at the moment is finding the time to create everything I have planned, but I know it doesn’t have to be perfect straight away. I’m looking forward to building it one step at a time and watching it grow alongside my learners.
DFI 7 – Devices
Today’s DFI session was one of my favourites because I got to actually have a go and see how iPads can be used in meaningful ways in a junior classroom. Even though my school isn’t using iPads yet, today’s learning gave me some great insights into how they could be used to support learning, creativity, and independence. It also gave me lots of practical ideas that I can keep in mind for the future, especially around teaching cyber safety and helping young learners use technology responsibly. I also discovered Google Vids, which I didn’t even know existed! I can already see how useful it will be for creating engaging learning resources. Overall, today’s session made me feel more confident about exploring new digital tools and reminded me that there are always new ways to make teaching, learning, and even everyday life a little easier.
Collaborate sites
Today’s learning helped me better understand the Manaiakalani kaupapa and pedagogy by actually creating my own Google Site. I really enjoyed the experience, and it made me think about how powerful it is when learning is shared digitally. It connects well with the idea of making learning visible and giving both teachers and students the opportunity to create and share their work.
This also helped improve my confidence as a professional. I had a nice time trying to build the site, and honestly, I had never stopped to think that one day I would actually be doing this myself. I’ve seen my 16-year-old son creating Google Sites for his school assignments, but I never imagined I would have a similar task. It was encouraging to realize that I can learn these skills too and continue growing in my digital confidence.
I decided to create my site based on this term’s inquiry topic in science, the 3 Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle, hoping that I can use it in my classroom with my junior students. I think this will be a great way to share content, add visuals, and make the learning more engaging. It will also give students something they can revisit and explore at their own pace.
In my personal life, today reminded me to keep an open mind and not be afraid of trying new things, even when they feel unfamiliar. It was nice to step into the learner role and experience something new, just like our students do. It also made me smile thinking that I’m now doing something similar to what my son has been doing for school.
https://sites.google.com/waitakeresda.school.nz/dfi-demosite-3rssabrinasouza/home
Dealing with Data
I really enjoyed learning more about Google Sheets. Even though I’ve been using it for a while, I realized there are still so many simple things that can make a big difference. For example, learning how to freeze a column (which I always struggled with!) and how to insert checkboxes. These are small things, but they honestly save so much time and make everything feel more organized.
This learning definitely helped build my confidence and capability as a professional. I feel like I can now use Sheets more effectively, especially when it comes to organizing my learning rotation groups. It just makes the whole process smoother and less stressful.
With Vicky’s amazing help, I was also able to create a chart from data collected from a blog. I had never even thought about doing that before, and I didn’t realize how easy it actually is! That was a big moment for me because it showed me how I can use data in a more visual and meaningful way with my learners.
I can definitely see myself using these skills in the classroom, whether it’s organizing groups, tracking progress, or even showing students simple ways to work with data.
Even in my personal life, I can see how this will help me stay more organized and save time. It’s those small, practical skills that really add up.
Overall, I’m really looking forward to learning more and putting all of this into practice on a daily basis.
Media
One of my favourite wins today was setting up a YouTube playlist for my classroom. This might sound simple, but it’s going to save me so much time! No more searching for songs every day. Everything will be ready to go, and my students can even choose their favourites from the list. Once I connect my account to the classroom TV, I’ll be all set, and honestly, that feels like a big teacher life upgrade!
I also explored Google Drawings, which gave me lots of ideas for creative activities with my students. But what I loved the most was learning how to use animations in Google Slides. I’m already excited to start using this, especially when creating slides for school assemblies. It’s such a simple way to make presentations more engaging and fun to watch.
On a personal level, today really boosted my confidence with technology. I feel more comfortable trying new tools and less afraid of clicking the “wrong button.” It feels good to know I’m building skills that make my work easier, my lessons better, and my days a little more organized. Overall, it was a great learning day, and I can’t wait to put all of this into practice.
Workflow
Today’s learning was honestly really eye-opening and fun. It helped me better understand the Manaiakalani kaupapa by showing how powerful digital tools can be when they’re used the right way. Exploring Google Drive and its features made me realize how technology can support better communication, collaboration, and independence, which is such a big part of creating positive learning environments.
As a professional, I feel way more confident now. I was surprised by how many cool features Gmail and Google Meet actually have (and I’ve had Gmail for years!). Learning these new tools will make my workflow so much smoother, especially when emailing parents and staff or setting up meetings. It also feels good knowing I won’t have to ask for help all the time anymore, I can figure things out myself 😊
I can already see how this learning will benefit my students too. Being more confident with Google tools means I can support my learners better with online tasks, collaboration, and organization. It also helps encourage them to become more independent and comfortable using digital tools for their learning.
On a personal level, this has boosted my confidence as well. I am stating to feel more, getting more organized, capable, and less stressed about using technology. Overall, today was a great learning experience that has helped me grow both professionally and personally, and I’m actually excited to use these new skills moving forward!
Core Business
What did I learn that increased my understanding of Manaiakalani kaupapa and pedagogy?
I learned more about how Google Drive tools, especially Google Docs, fit in with the Manaiakalani kaupapa of Learn, Create, Share. Using these tools makes it much easier to collaborate, share learning, and give feedback, which helped me understand why they are such an important part of Manaiakalani practice.
What did I learn that could improve my confidence, capability or workflow as a professional?
Getting more familiar with Google Docs has really boosted my confidence at work. I can now see why it’s often preferred over Microsoft Word—it has so many helpful features all in one place. This will definitely make my work easier and more organized, especially when creating and sharing documents.
What did I learn that could be used with my learners?
Because I understand Google Docs better now, I feel more confident helping my students when they’re using it. I can support them more easily and encourage them to work more independently, which is great for their learning.
What did I learn that could improve my confidence, capability or workflow in my personal life?
This learning has been useful in my personal life too. I feel much more comfortable using Google Docs for everyday things like writing letters to parents and organizing documents. It’s also made me realize my teenager was right all along—maybe it’s time to officially retire Microsoft Word 😄